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View from south east, Church of St Peter and St Paul, East Harling 2
View from south east, Church of St Peter and St Paul, East Harling 2 · Colin, CC BY-SA 4.0

East Harling, United Kingdom

East Harling is a town of 2,142 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population2,142 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation79 ft 24 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportRAF Honington (BEQ) 9 mi
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Why visit East Harling

Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 9 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.

Highlights include WW1 Roll of Honour.

About East Harling

East Harling is a village in the civil parish of Harling in the Breckland district of the English county of Norfolk.

From the Wikipedia article East Harling (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Museums and landmarks3

WW1 Roll of Honour

Monument and historic site · 1.5 mi

Large engraved and painted brass plaque on inside wall of church. Sided by two inscribed wooden crosses.

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1914 The Centenary of the Great War 2014

Monument and historic site

Seat with brass plaque on back rail.

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Harling's Pillories & Stocks

Monument and historic site

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Parks, trails and playgrounds1

East Harling Community Garden

Park

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Restaurants and cafes9

The Nag's Head

Bar and pub

Market Street, Norwich

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The Swan

Bar and pub

Market Street, Norwich

Mo-Fr 15:00-23:00; Sa-Su 12:00-23:00

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Peckish

Cafe · Sandwich, Cake

Market Street, Norwich

Su-Tu off; We-Fr 08:00-14:00; Sa 18:00-13:00; PH off

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The English Distillery

Brewery and winery · 1.2 mi

Watton Road, Norwich

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The Grain Kitchen

Restaurant · 1.1 mi

Watton Road, Norwich

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Kowloon House

Restaurant · Chinese

Market Street, Norwich

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Aquatics Café

Cafe · 1.2 mi

Watton Road, Norwich

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Rumbles Fish Bar

Fast food · Fish And Chips

Memorial Green, Norwich

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Pit Stop Snack Bar

Fast food · 1.4 mi

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Where to stay2

Field Cottage Bed and Breakast

Motel and hotel · 0.6 mi

Eccles Road, Norwich

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Sunset House

Motel and hotel · 0.4 mi

32 West Harling Road, Norwich

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History

East Harling's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the eastern part of the settlement of 'Herela's' people.

In the Domesday Book, East Harling and West Harling are recorded together as a settlement of 91 households in the hundred of Guiltcross. In 1086, the villages were divided between the estates of King William I, Count Alan of Brittany, St. Edmunds' Abbey, William d'Ecouis and Robert de Verly.

Harling Old Hall was built in 1490 on the site of an existing building called Herling's Hall and was demolished in the Nineteenth Century.

From 1808 to 1814, East Harling hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain connecting the Admiralty in London to the fleet in Great Yarmouth.

In 1931 the civil parish had a population of 900. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with West Harling to form "Harling".

In 1992, a German field gun was found buried during excavations around a residential building. It is likely that the gun was given as a prize to the village after the First World War and was buried in the Second World War.

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On 13 December 1943, a B-17 Flying Fortress of the 96th Bomb Group crashed near the village trying to return to RAF Snetterton Heath after a bombing raid on Hamburg. Before crashing, the aircraft dumped its bombload in a field which shattered many windows in the village. Furthermore, during the Second World War, several pillboxes were built to defend against a possible German invasion.

From the History section of East Harling on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about East Harling

Geography

According to the 2021 census, East Harling has a population of 2,489 people which shows an increase from the 2,142 people recorded in the 2011 census.

In 1931 the civil parish had a population of 900. This was the last time separate population statistics were collected for the village as the parish was merged with West Harling in 1935.

From the Wikipedia article East Harling, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Churches and places of worship5

Schools, colleges and libraries1

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Healthcare1

Map of East Harling

22 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

RAF Honington (BEQ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.

  • Banham 4 mi east, about 7 min by car
  • Attleborough 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
  • Botesdale 7 mi southeast, about 12 min by car
  • Rickinghall 7 mi south, about 12 min by car
  • Thetford 8 mi west, about 13 min by car
  • Diss 9 mi southeast, about 14 min by car
  • Griston 9 mi north, about 14 min by car
  • Hingham 10 mi north, about 16 min by car
  • Ixworth 11 mi southwest, about 17 min by car
  • Scole 11 mi southeast, about 17 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near East Harling

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.